The global economic slowdown would not affect Malaysia’s tourism industry as the country’s tourism industry was still competitive, a local tourism official said on Friday.

Tourists were attracted to Malaysia because of the relatively low cost compared with the United States and Europe, Malaysia’s national news services Bernama quoted Deputy Tourism Minister Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib as saying.

The Malaysian Tourism Ministry was aggressively promoting Malaysia’s tour packages in the Middle East, Australia and China, he said in Kota Samarahan near Kuching, capital of the Sarawak State in east Malaysia.

The official told local tour operators not to worry over the global economic situation.